Comfort
by CrystalMoonlightII
Summary: Nobody knew how to cope with those first few days trapped inside Hope's Peak Academy. It was a hard to grasp the idea of having to kill for freedom. Maizono however, turned to somebody she cared about very deeply for support in her hour of need. After all, Monokuma never said it was against the rules to fall in love... (Maizono/Naegi - ONESHOT FOR NOW! I might write more later!)
**Okay, I'll admit that this little story idea came out of the blue. I watched the Danganronpa anime and played the game, and I kept thinking back to the character development between Naegi and Maizono. I kind of ship them. So, here's my take on how things could have turned out differently if he hadn't left his room. I hope you enjoy this little protect! Special thanks for the cover image edit go to Sayuri Tsukihime!
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* * *

 **Comfort**

 _To be alive, the most precious thing of all. Not a mere commodity to be bought and sold for money like so many other trivial items in the world: No, it goes far beyond that. Life, people; the relationships they form. Every living person reaches out and touches another in some way. Be it through kindness, acts of unbelievable cruelty, or just for the warmth of basic human comfort. Everybody has needs no matter how big or how small they might be. Alas, in a world clouded by despair and uncertainty, innocent hearts and fragile minds reach out for somebody to embrace them in moments of such dire need. After all, the students of Hope's Peak Academy, they were only human._

Naegi couldn't stop his thoughts from running away in a blind rampage. He refused to show it on the outside, not in front of his fellow students. However, now that he sat safely in the confines of his room, he was able to put things into perspective. "So… that bear expects us to kill each other if we want to have our freedom?"

It was a grim concept, one the likes of which most people would never have to comprehend in the entirety of their lives. "I can't wrap my head around this… no matter how hard I try. Surely, that bear doesn't think he can provoke us into-"

However, a memory awoke, one he fought to push away all night before this, "The motivational videos he showed to us all." The very recollection of it made his heart pound faster and faster with every passing second. Above all else, one person seemed to stick out in Naegi's mind in light of this remembrance.

"Maizono... God, I hope you're doing okay. I can't help but worry about you." Three days trapped within this forsaken prison in school form. Yet, the most nerve-wracking thing Naegi had seen up until now was the horrified look on Sayaka Maizono's beautiful face. "Whatever Monokuma showed her, it had to have been bad… There's no doubt about it."

There was nothing else to do right now but think back to the past. It was late after all, and by this hour, everyone had promised to stay within the confines of their rooms, "Every key point I can remember links back to Maizono. For some reason I can't bring myself to stop thinking about her."

The thumping increase of his heartbeat: The young man placed a hand upon his chest to take note of every hefty thud from the organ inside. A tiny smile graced the corners of his lips as he thought more and more about the girl he called his friend. "Sayaka… she's kind and beautiful, and out of everybody she's placed her trust in me. I don't think I've ever met a girl so gentle in my entire life."

"Damn," the young man ran a hand through his scruffy hair as he did battle with his thoughts, "A little over three days trapped in this place…. I couldn't have bonded with her that quickly, could I? After all… I'm just your average guy. Why would she be interested in me?"

The Ultimate Pop Idol, a term by which everyone referred to Sayaka throughout Japan. That much was just common knowledge, "The perfect mind, and the most amazing personality… a cute figure." The simple act of reeling off all the woman's finer points only served to highlight the issue Makoto felt every so strongly in his mind, "….Maybe I'm out of her lea-"

A sound taking the form of a light tapping against his bedroom door. Thankfully, it was all he needed to stop the runaway train of his roguish thoughts from jumping too far out of control, "I better go see who it is. I shouldn't leave them out in the hallway."

Curfew, another 'rule' imposed by the overlord to ensure smooth progression of his twisted little game. The swiftest glance toward the silver watch clasped around his wrist told Naegi just as much as he needed to know. "It's a couple of minutes from Ten…. Whoever's out there…. I should speak to them now while it's still safe."

Traversing the narrow expanse of the little bedroom in which the young man found himself was easy enough. Leaning forward he carefully took a glance into the small circular peephole at the top of his door. "Maizono…."

Once again, his heartrate accelerated: something he found was entirely out of the grasp of his control when it came to this girl. A subconscious nervousness, one that quietly existed in the back of his mind whenever he was alone with her. Yet, despite such a feeling, he took but a moment unbolting the door to welcome Sayaka inside.

* * *

There she stood, Miss Maizono, clad in her perfectly fitting school uniform, the frills of her skirt flowing elegantly with every tiny little step she took. Hands clasped together, her dark blue eyes fixated upon the ground with an aura of unease about them; she silently looked to Naegi as he finished bolting the door.

"I'm really scared," she whispered, "I think I heard someone trying to break into my room." A quiet confession, one in her usual sweet and delicate tone of voice.

Such an admission only served to make things worse concerning the current situation. Makoto's mind started acting on automatic as he reached out and placed a warm hand upon one of the idol's petite shoulders, "Well, you're safe now. I'll look out for you." A smile, a heartfelt smile to match the inner sentiment that the young man felt. He couldn't stop himself from thinking about his desire to protect this wonderful; talented girl.

Maizono stiffened like a statue for a moment under the surprise of being touched. However, she quickly relaxed to the point of feeling a little more at ease with it. She thought back to her reason for coming to Naegi, no, Makoto's room. At first she had just dismissed it as a means to an end for the sake of her sanity, but now she was here Sayaka felt very differently.

"Do you mind if I stay with you for a while… in here?" Her question escaped her soft pinkish lips with the volume of a squeaky little mouse. Edging forward, one footstep at a time, Maizono leaned in and placed one of her dainty hands upon Naegi's chest, until she slowly shuffled into something halfway between an embrace.

Blushes on both sides from the lady and the gentleman: the simplicity of a red flush signified how both of them felt in this scenario. However, pushing her nervousness aside, she gently flipped back the strands of her elegant blueish hair and smiled with compassion, "I remember," she uttered in a low tone; a projection of voice laced with heartfelt familiarity.

"Huh?" Naegi could barely focus his train of thought in light of this recent development. His entire body, each one of his senses felt jarred by the sudden closeness. This was Maizono, after all. The same Maizono he knew from his old school. Never in a million years had he expected her to get so close to him like this.

For a moment, the teenage idol seemed to hesitate, though her smile was still bright as ever, the soft rouge hue on her cheeks refusing to die down for a moment. She stood torn, a look of conflict evident on her flawless face. "…I remember," Sayaka began nervously for a second time, the hand she rested upon Makoto's shoulder seeming to tighten in its grip as she spoke, "I remember something important about you…. Back before I became an idol… I… we…."

At last Naegi relaxed, the tenseness in his muscles dying down. The solace he felt in being so close to someone, especially this young lady, it invigorated him with a sense of hope amidst all the uncertainty, "Go on…. Don't be shy. You know you can trust me," words directed by the compassion from the boy to the girl in this, a very intimate time of need.

Sayaka surrendered to herself; the guiding light projected by her heart. With reckless abandon, she fully embraced Naegi with everything she had and softly rested her head against his chest. Perhaps strangest of all, she expected him to reject her affection: instead, he did exactly the opposite and held her tightly as if she were a fragile doll.

"I have a picture in my mind of you," Maizono spoke in a soft whisper of admission, "Before I became an idol I… always cared about you from afar… but then I had to choose between my music and my heart…. I kept on wondering why I felt so drawn to you from the moment I saw you again. Now I… I think I know why."

The revival of a fragile flame, a previously extinguished ember brought back to life under the oppression of captivity. Maizono knew this feeling well, and now, in this hopeless situation, she felt as though she had found reason to fight on, "The truth is," she stuttered nervously, softly nestling her head against Naegi's chest for some relief from all the fear inside, "Back in Junior High… before we changed schools… I had a crush on you."

Finally, in that single moment, all of the walls went down. Makoto Naegi, an average guy with terrible luck, finally believed that his streak of misfortune was coming to an end. There was no need for denial now. With his ray of hope held softly in the protection of his embrace, he let a chuckle escape his lips, "….So you feel the same way… well… that's a relief…."

He half-expected Maizono to freeze up in a deeper blush at this point. However, he was pleasantly surprised when she reached out, honest compassion swimming in her deep; ocean blue eyes, and gently caressed the side of his cheek with her slender fingers, "Lets survive this game together…. I want to get out of here…. Not just for my bandmates…. But for you too, Naegi…."

"Makoto," he smiled with beaming intensity across his entire expression, "…Please… when it's just us I want you to use my first name."

This time around however, she did blush; and buried her face into the safety of his chest for a second time to hide, "Then in that case," she whispered shyly, "I suppose you could… c-call me Sakaya too."

Finally pushing away her fears; the persona, Maizono freed herself from the hold Makoto held upon her, and playfully stuck out her tongue, "You know something? She began in a cheerful tone to match her inner feelings right now. "It feels so good to honest with myself. I've always felt that around you…. I don't need to show my pop idol side. I can let myself be regular Maizono… and you wouldn't see me any differently."

"Well… of course!" Naegi smiled with gleeful innocence, a true reflection of his heart. I'll always see you as regular Mai- Mmmm…."

The warmth filled Makoto's cheeks yet again, the heat of a deep red burning across his face in surprise. A softness he had never experienced before this moment. A softness, a warm; moist softness beyond the likes of which he was familiar with. Maizono stood close yet again, this time pulling him into a shared embrace she had initiated, her delicate pinkish lips softly caressing his own.

Gentle little moans every few moments, as their lips stood joined and danced to their own special little melody. While this romantic embrace started slow and innocent, the pace steadily increased as one would occasionally deepen the kiss with the slightest hint of aggression, and then wait patiently, politely; for the other to return the affection. Stillness filled the entire room, a divine silence save for the gentle sound of their lips lovingly smacking together.

Afloat in a sea of comfort, Maizono's head swam in the deepest depths of happiness, and for the first time since awakening, she felt at peace. For this moment alone, nothing else mattered by basking in the requited love of her former high school crush.

An eternity ticked onward, and finally, Naegi took the initiative to awaken from his own personal moment of bliss. They parted, their lips still bound by the tiniest little string of saliva, and Maizono stood gasping for breath, her entire body shuddering softly under the quaking ecstasy that had yet to fade.

"My first kiss," she sighed softly and took a second to discreetly trace a finger across the expanse of her lips. Naegi seemed to be away in deep reflection, his eyes glazed over as if he were in another world entirely.

"Yoohoo," Sayaka called out playfully as she placed her hands upon her hips, "Earth calling Makoto…. Are you home?"

Finally snapping back to reality, Naegi took a moment to remove his jacket and toss it aside before nodding in response. The heat of such a romantic exchange had left him feeling more than a little hot, "Sorry… I was just thinking for a moment," he explained while giving a little bow of apology.

"Thinking about what, silly?" Sayaka cooed cheerfully, "About me I hope, mister!"

"Of course," an expression of confidence overtaking his expression, he moved to place a hand upon Sayaka's shoulder. Determination burned in his eyes like the embers of a roaring fire, "We're getting out of here together…. I promise you that, Sayaka…. There's no way I'm letting anyone hurt you."

"Ditto! Ditto!" It was true; at this point, there was no going back for Sayaka Maizono. She felt it deep within her heart. What had originally began as a plea for comfort in harsh times had blossomed into an admission of her true feelings. There was no way she could ever consider hurting Naegi now. In fact, she truly believed he was her only hope. If they were to escape from the crazy school it would be together, or not at all.

 **To be continued?**

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 **Thank you for taking the time to read through until the end. I'm not sure if I will continue this or not. If I do, it will likely be a very fluffy kind of story. If you want me to carry on writing it, then please let me know!**

 **That said, please feel free to leave me some feedback if you would like to. I'm always grateful for all of the support shown by my readers. Your opinions are much appreciated! I might write some more oneshots later if I feel like it, but I'm not sure about pairings just yet. Until then, please keep on supporting Danganronpa, and I'll see you in the next thing I write!**


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